U.S. voters are being barraged by claims and counter claims of how many jobs were lost or created under the Obama administration... This partisan din kicks up a huge cloud of dust as self-appointed independent fact checkers and nonpartisan think tanks contradict each other. Large numbers of economists, some prominent and others less so, line up on both sides. Pity the harried undecided voters in search of non-partisan information.

American voters could well look above our political fray to the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Every year starting in 2004, the GCI ranks the world economies by their competitiveness, defined as the set of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country, which, in turn, determines the level of prosperity that can be earned by an economy.

Throughout most of its short history, the GCI ranked the United States first or second. At times, Switzerland, Finland, Singapore, Denmark, and Finland have given the U.S. a run for its money...

When George Bush passed the baton to Barrack Obama in January of 2009, the 2008-2009 edition of the GCI ranked the U.S. number one as it had since 2006-2007.

The 2008-2009 report gave the U.S. top ranking despite its ongoing financial crisis and shaky banking system because the country is endowed with many structural features that make its economy extremely productive and that place it on a footing to ride out the business cycle and economic shocks. ...

Contrary to this upbeat assessment, America experienced the worst economic recovery of postwar history under the Obama administration.

Fast forward now to the 2011-2012 GCI reports explanation of why the mighty U.S. fell from first to fifth place during the three years of Obama:

&#8220;While many structural features continue to make its economy extremely productive, a number of escalating weaknesses have lowered the US ranking in recent years. US companies are highly sophisticated and innovative, supported by an excellent university system&#8230;&#8230; On the other hand, there are some weaknesses &#8230;..that have deepened since past assessments. The business community continues to be critical toward public and private institutions (39th)&#8230;. it remains concerned about the government&#8217;s ability to maintain arms-length relationships with the private sector (50th), and it considers that the government spends its resources relatively wastefully (66th)&#8230;. and regulation more burdensome (58th). A lack of macroeconomic stability continues to be the United States&#8217; greatest area of weakness (90th).&#8221;

While the efficiency and innovation of American business remain highly ranked, at third and fifth respectively, our public and private institutions&#8217; score (36) ranks us with Ireland, Spain, and Israel; our arms-length ranking (50) is matched by Ethiopia, Poland, and Jordan; our government-waste (66) equals Azerbaijan, Iran, and South Africa; and our regulatory-burden (39) ties with eight countries that include Panama, Trinidad, Mali, Ireland, and El Salvador.

The 2010-2011 GCI report warns that our lack of macroeconomic stability will &#8220;likely weigh heavily on the country&#8217;s future growth.&#8221; The U.S.&#8217;s government-deficit ranking (139) is matched by Greece, Botswana and Swaziland. (No surprise that the Europeans did not want to be lectured by Timothy Geithner).

first of forbes is NOT and i repeat NOT repsentitive of the world when it comes to economics. furthurmore places like the oxford research group(england) would not agree with that article. also MANY groups that study economics groups in; Brazil, Japan, Sudan, Germany, Sweeden ALL have picked apart both Obama and Romney policy, guess who they side with, Obama........

first of forbes is NOT and i repeat NOT repsentitive of the world when it comes to economics. furthurmore places like the oxford research group(england) would not agree with that article. also MANY groups that study economics groups in; Brazil, Japan, Sudan, Germany, Sweeden ALL have picked apart both Obama and Romney policy, guess who they side with, Obama........

Click to expand...

wow. you didn't bother to read the article at all, did you? just a kneejerk rejection of the source because it's saying something you don't like. how about you give us an argument against the GCI, which is what the article and the thread are actually about?

U.S. voters are being barraged by claims and counter claims of how many jobs were lost or created under the Obama administration... This partisan din kicks up a huge cloud of dust as self-appointed independent fact checkers and nonpartisan think tanks contradict each other. Large numbers of economists, some prominent and others less so, line up on both sides. Pity the harried undecided voters in search of non-partisan information.

American voters could well look above our political fray to the World Economic Forums Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Every year starting in 2004, the GCI ranks the world economies by their competitiveness, defined as the set of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country, which, in turn, determines the level of prosperity that can be earned by an economy.

Throughout most of its short history, the GCI ranked the United States first or second. At times, Switzerland, Finland, Singapore, Denmark, and Finland have given the U.S. a run for its money...

When George Bush passed the baton to Barrack Obama in January of 2009, the 2008-2009 edition of the GCI ranked the U.S. number one as it had since 2006-2007.

The 2008-2009 report gave the U.S. top ranking despite its ongoing financial crisis and shaky banking system because the country is endowed with many structural features that make its economy extremely productive and that place it on a footing to ride out the business cycle and economic shocks. ...

Contrary to this upbeat assessment, America experienced the worst economic recovery of postwar history under the Obama administration.

Fast forward now to the 2011-2012 GCI reports explanation of why the mighty U.S. fell from first to fifth place during the three years of Obama:

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